Improvement in blast-furnaces



ping Parts.

UNITED STATES PATENT y OFFICE. f

HENRY DAVIES, OF NEWPORT, KENTUCKY.

IMPROVEME-NTVIN` BLAST-FURNACES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 121,762, dat-ed December 12,1871.

To all whom it 'may concern: Beit known` that I, HENRY'DAvrEs, of Newport, in the county of Campbell and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and" useful Improvement in Blast-Furnaces; and I do hereby declare 'that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable oth- V ers skilled in the art to-make and use the same,

reference being had to the accompanying draw` improved furnace. Fig. 3 is a top view, partly in section of the furnace, the planeof section Y being indlcated' by the line a: Fig. l. Fig. 4

is ahorizontal sectionbf the furnace taken on the plane of the line y y, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspond- This invention'has for its object to improve blast-furnacesin such a manner that `the gases,

generally termed waste gases# will be utilized, together wit allthe products of combustion. The

A invention consists in such a construction and arrangement of the furnace and of the machinery connected therewith that the gases will be conducted in the desiredmanner, to be entirely conf sumed or utilized. Y Y 4 A in the drawing represents the upper portion of a blast-furnace. B is an inverted trxmcated conical hopper, placed upon the top of the furnace. The upper end of the hopper terminates in a short cylinder, which sustains a circular pla-te, C. The plate C- has a large central aperture, e, and a series of smaller openings, .sa-y sixteen, arranged in a circle around its outer part. 'Through these outer apertures are fitted as'ma'ny vertical pipes D D, which extend upward to a consierable distance and downward nearly to the sides of the hopper, being beveled parallel with the same,

as shown in Fig. 1. The pipes D below the plate- (l are perforated with small holes, as is clearly shown in'Fig. 1. vThe pipes D are made of taper ing form, being smaller in diameter at the upper than they are at their lower ends. 'From the outer side of eaci pipe D projects, at the upper part of the same, a number of wings, a a., which project so tarv that their outer ends are in line with the edge of a collar, b, which supports each pipe D on'the plate C. E isa double cylindrical casing of brick-work, forming an annular chanber, within which the pipes D are contained. Fv

is a cast-iron annular plate, covering the chant' 1 ber E, and receiving the upper ends of the pipes D. The wings a! on D t the-holes in the plate F so as to leave small apertures c around the v upper part of each pipe D. G is an annular chamber, formed of brick-work, above the plate F, and

cominunicatin g with one o r more horizontal iiues, y

H. I is the cover 'of the annular chamber G. It is made of cast-iron, lined with fire-brick, and has a series of openings, covered with lids d, one being above each pipe D. J is a cylindrical chamber in the center of thefurnace. It is prei erably lined with cast or Wrought iron. K is a cone closing the chamber J at the bottom. L is a rod from which the cone K is suspended. `M is a crank-shaft, supported by standards N nat the top of J, the rod L being connected to M, as

seen -in Fig. 1. Ois a weight attached to the ysha-ft M, and made heavy enough to balance the cone K and to close the same against the lower end ofr J P P are two semi-annular iiues, ar-

ranged around the bottom ot E, and separated from each other by partitions f. Each flue or chamber P is provided with a fire-place, Q, in the center. B R are a number of small tlues leading from the flues l? into the lower partof the chamber E,"as in` Figs. 1 and 4. S S are the 'stock-holesfor feeding the grates Qyvith fuel.

T T are l`standards or columns passing through the hopper B to aid in supporting the plate-U and the load upon it, the lower ends of the columns resting on suitable supports.A U is a steam cylinder fixed upon aframe, V, which is,mount ed upon three wheels or. rollers, W, that sustain iton a circular track, X, as shown in Fig. 2. The track X is fixed in the roof of the bridge-house Y, or-upon any suitable frame@work, concentric withand above the ring of pipesfD and chamber J, and of sufiicient height to be out of headway. g h are the steam-pipes to U. lt is provided with a stuiiing-box, "1', over the center of thetrack X, to allow the frame V to turn round with its cyl inder U. 7' is a rod with bifurcated lower end,` each prong having-a hook The upper end of the rod j also has a hook whichis .hooked into the piston-rod l ofthe cylinder U, while the lower prongs lock into the perforated win gs a of one of the pipes D, and may be attached or detached at pleasure. Two of the wings a of each pipe D have holes inthem for receiving the prongs of the rod j. Z is a rod to the valve lever, to operate the cylinder U.

The operation is as follows: The furnace being filled, in the usual way, with alternate charges of iron ore, iiux, and chart-.cal or other fuel, through the center opening J, (the cone being let down for tb at p urpose,) the pipes l) are filled with ore through a suitable movable hopper, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. l. This hopper istlinreinovcd and thev covers d put oir-and the conc K closed, as shown. The fires at Q having been started, the gases from. them will pass right and left through the circular tlues l?, and through the small radial fines lt into the chamber E, l1eating the pipes ll' with the ore in them, andv escape into G through the small holes c' round the pipes D into the plate li. The furnace being started, or the blast being put out, the gases from the top ofthe furnace will vlne-driven through the small holes in the bottom of the pipes D and through the. ore in them, the same having been heated by the fires at (gto a sufiicient temperature to insure the combustion of the spare carbon ot"".he gas from the furnace with the oxygen f r' the ore. The products of this combustion will be dis charged into Gr carbonio acid, where it will mingle with the gases from (L) a ml pass off through the iiues H. As soon as ilu furnzme requires a charge the iufcessar)r quantity of fuel is dumped into the center opening or cylinder J and rests upon the cone. K. lhe weight 01's then lifted and the cone lowered, when the fuel .slides into the furnace. The weight, when let go, closes the conc K again. One ol.' the lids d is now removed. The rodj is hooked into the piston-rod ol' U and to the pipe l), as shown. 'lherod Z is then pulled so that the steam will be turned on,.a.nd the piston with the pipe l) raised to allow the ore to run out et',

l) into the furnace. The empty pipe 1) is now let down again, and the rod j removed, the pipe being rciilled with ore, as before. Such pipe is then covcred with a :i table cap to prevent the gases from passing through the fresh ore until it issutficicntly heated to insure its taking up the surplus ca-rlmn ofthe gus, when the cap is removed and the gas allowed to pass through as before. Uien another charge is required the coal will be put in, as before. The frame V with its cylinder` U is turned half round, and the cylinder brought over the pipe l) opposite the last one. Such pipe is then raised, discharged, and refilled, and capped. in the manner before described, and so on with all pipes. lare should be taken to discharge. opposite'pipcs,' as near as possible, as this will tend to keep the workqof the furnace regular. l't will be readily seen that it' all the gasfai'ter passing through the ore in the pipes, is rendered metallic state in the furnace, and a. saving of fuel" will be the result.- The nitrogen contained in the gas will not be aifected bythe process, serving merely as a Vehicle for the ox'y'fgen of the air.

In the foregoing is described the mode of heating the pipes by means of the .iiues at Q; but it muy oe necessary, where stone-coal is scarce, to use a portion of the waste gas for heating'up the pipes and ore as described, which may be done in the following manner: The plate C may have suitable number of small holes between the pipes l), large enough to allow a sufiicicnt quantity of gas to enter the chamber E i'or heating the pipes lfand the ore in them, when a sutlicient quantity y"of air is admitted through the openings or tlues R to burn the gas. .As the gas may be admitted into the tire-places Q, the ash-pitbeing stopped up, but leaving stlliicient opening for the lair to enter for combustion with the from the furnace top, the tire-place Q and dues l? P will serve as a combustion. chamber, and the products pass through the iines lt into E and heat up the pipesand ore, as desruiibed.

Having thus described my invention, I- claim as new and desire to secure by Letters -Patent` l.. The series of pendent and movable chainbcrs l), perforated near the bottom, combined in a blast-furnace, of an. 'inverted conical hopper, .13,.as described, so that heat can first be applied to said chambers to raise the temperature of the ore therein, the products of combustion then be passedthrough said ore, andthe said chambers then lifted to. drop the ore int-o the furnace.

2. .In a blast-furnace the series of lircplaces Q, the iiues lJ 1t, a-nd the 'chamber E, arranged and applied to the chambers l), as and for the purpose-set forth. y

3. The steain-liftin g device, arranged upon circular track X, vand provided with a detachable and pendent catch to connect and disconnect with chambers D, as described.

4. rlhe central fucl-inlct J, provided with a pendent and downwardly-movable cone K, to be let down to open said inlet to f and to bc raised to close s'a id inlet.

5. The process ot' first heating ore and then passi u g the products of combustion therethrough, as and for the purpose specified.

. HENRY DAVIES.

Witnesses:

ALBERT T. Roo'r,

(ino. SUMMERS. (99) with and resting upon the sides ucl for the furnace, 

